Sen. Duey Stroebel Authored Bill to Increase Funding for School Vouchers
Republican incumbent Duey Stroebel is running for reelection in Senate District 8. Sen. Stroebel authored and voted for SB 330, which raised the amount that school districts are allowed to raise from local taxpayers for per-pupil funding and increased per-pupil payments for students using private school vouchers by up to $2,000. He referred to this as “the largest school choice expansion in state history.”
Since the expansion of funding for school vouchers and independent charter schools in 2023, Wisconsin taxpayers are footing a $700 million price tag for students to go to schools that lack oversight and exclude students with disabilities. According to Up North News, “[a]dditional research has also found that charter schools often lack the regulation necessary to ensure they’re properly educating their students. This lack of oversight has led to fraud and mismanagement, with multiple charter schools in Wisconsin having to close due to either financial troubles or poor academic performance.”
Additionally, research has shown that school choice policies tend to exclude students with disabilities from charter schools and voucher programs, “because these schools claim they don’t have the resources to accommodate them,” leaving these students “without the resources they need to be successful in school.”
Democratic candidate Jodi Habush Sinykin, running for Wisconsin Senate District 8 says she believes that Wisconsin needs to invest in having “the best schools, from pre-K through college.” According to her campaign website, “with historic budget surpluses and a record number of local school district referenda, Wisconsin needs to invest in our future and support our public schools.”
Habush Sinykin was a teacher for several years in the University of Wisconsin system, and is a strong supporter of the public university system. According to Habush Sinykin, “The UW System has been underfunded for years – Jodi believes in restoring the Wisconsin Idea.”
Habush Sinkyn has been endorsed by the Wisconsin Education Association Council.